Oral Testimony as Delivered by CEO Michael D. Smith to the Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development 

Chairwoman Foxx, Chairman Owens, Ranking Members Scott and Wilson, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today.  

AmeriCorps’ mission of improving the lives of Americans through service is personal to me.

I was raised by parents who were just 16 years old when I was born. We didn’t have much money, but we had love in abundance and a community who believed our neighbors’ children are all our children.  

My mom sent me to my local Boys and Girls Club because she told me she needed inexpensive daycare, but she got so much more.  

There, I met AmeriCorps Foster Grandparents and VISTA members who alongside other caring adults lifted me up and kept me in line.  

There’s no way a kid like me could go from relying on welfare to leading a federal agency, had it not been for everyday Americans who made service their life’s work.

Americans like the 200,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers who show up for their neighbors in need in every state, in every one of your districts, every single day.  

They represent America at its best.  

That’s why investment in sound financial management and internal controls is so important. AmeriCorps can not deliver on our mission if our foundation is not stable.    

When I became CEO three years ago, AmeriCorps faced significant financial management challenges stemming from decades of underinvestment in systems, operations, and people—resulting in five consecutive years of disclaimed audit opinions – prior to my arrival.

I outlined a plan for this Committee, two years ago, to put AmeriCorps on a path to financial and operational success.  

We are now implementing that multi-year plan and it’s working.

We downgraded one material weakness, closed one Significant Deficiency and one Former Material Weakness. We fully remediated an audit noncompliance and closed more than 25 financial statement audit recommendations.

We have made historic investments in technology modernization and financial systems and bolstered our expertise, including the agency’s first ever Senior Advisor on Financial Reform who is joining me today.  

We completed nearly 100 percent of remediation actions for five targeted material weaknesses, which should be reflected in next year’s audit.

And we closed nine of ten GAO recommendations to ensure AmeriCorps’ fraud risk management practices more fully align with their leading practices.  

As we rebuild the agency’s operational infrastructure, AmeriCorps continues to do what we do best—mobilize millions of Americans to strengthen communities and improve lives.  

For every one dollar invested in AmeriCorps, more than 17 dollars are returned to taxpayers.  

We see that return every day.

We see it in an AmeriCorps member in Virginia Recovery Corps who survived substance abuse. She said AmeriCorps was the only door that opened when all other doors closed.  

We see it in the PowerCorpsPHL AmeriCorps member in Philadelphia, who shared he was once on a path from school to prison – or worse – but AmeriCorps saved his life. 

And we see it in the nearly 1,000 AmeriCorps members who have supported recovery from Hurricanes Helene and Milton in Florida, North Carolina, and across the Southeast.  

One Asheville resident, whose father’s home was flooded, wrote to us and said:  

‘The AmeriCorps team under-promised and overdelivered at every step.  This group gave us more than relief – they gave us hope.’ 

As AmeriCorps drives tangible community impact around our country, we remain committed to strengthening the foundation of our mission. 

With continued support from Congress—and in collaboration with our Inspector General—AmeriCorps will achieve a clean audit opinion in 2026—and our members and volunteers will continue to create hope and opportunity everywhere they serve. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify. I am happy to answer your questions.